Fond farewell to Maíre and Gerry, together for 76 years and who died just hours apart
THEY were born within a day of each other, died within hours of each other, and were laid to rest together.
Dedicated couple Maíre and Gerry Ryan both passed away at the age of 93 on Monday at the Curragh Lawn Nursing Home in Newbridge, Co Kildare.
The Ryans, originally from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, were born within a day of each other in 1924 and were teenage sweethearts.
The had been inseparable since they began dating at the age of 17 while attending the same school. They married nine years later at the age of 26.
Local parish priest Fr Paul Dempsey, who officiated at their funeral mass at St Conleth’s Parish church in Newbridge yesterday, said it was a bittersweet occasion for the couple’s family and the congregation who turned out to pay their final respects.
“People were very moved that they died within hours of each other,” he told the
Irish Independent last night. “There was a sense of completion.”
Despite their longevity, it was still a very sad occasion for the couple’s daughter Geraldine and adult grandchildren Alan and Sarah as well as extended family who attended the funeral, he said.
“But they lived very full and good lives,” he added.
Maire Ryan, née Drohan, was well respected as the deputy principal at the Holy Family Secondary School in Newbridge where she taught for years.
Her husband joined the Irish Defence Forces and served as a commandant at the Clarke Barracks at the Curragh in Co Kildare before working for the former State training agency FAS.
The pair were both highly intelligent and never exhausted their thirst for knowledge, Fr Dempsey said.
“They were both very bright. After Gerry retired he completed a PhD at University College, Maynooth,” he said.
They were also “very generous with their time and energy,” he added.
But it was the couple’s lifelong devotion to one another that captured the hearts of staff at the nursing home where they had lived for just over a year.
Saritha Binumon, Assistant Director of Nursing, said they “filled the nursing home with so much love and affection for the 13 months they were here”.
“I’ve never seen so much dedication between a couple in my life,” she said.
“Really the whole staff are heartbroken,” she said of their passing.
“At the same time though, I’m happy for them,” she added.“I don’t think they would be able to be happy without each other.”
The couple moved into the nursing home only after Gerry could no longer care for his wife on his own after she developed Alzheimer’s disease, she said.
He never gave up on her and was always telling staff how smart she was, reading her poetry and recounting anecdotes of their happy lives together.
They were buried at St Patrick’s cemetery, Clonmel.
‘They filled the nursing home with so much love and affection ... I’ve never seen so much dedication between a couple in my life’